


Feel Invincible

by SilenceIsGolden15



Series: Voltron Oneshots [15]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Character Study, Gen, Lion Bonds, Post-Season/Series 02, Team as Family, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 03:58:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14968610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceIsGolden15/pseuds/SilenceIsGolden15
Summary: What if Keith was the one who vanished instead of Shiro?





	Feel Invincible

**Author's Note:**

> This fic in inspired by the awesome song Feel Invincible by Skillet, which you should all go listen to right now.

Keith had been missing for a week and a half. 

The plan to destroy Zarkon hadn’t gone well. Zarkon went through the wormhole just as planned, but neither Keith or Thace had returned from their portion of the mission. The team hadn’t been able to form Voltron without him, and as a result Zarkon escaped. 

Things had been messy ever since.

The Blade of Marmora was incensed. They would have thrown the whole thing in the teams face, maybe even cut off their alliance, if anyone on team Voltron had the time or mental presence to listen. 

Shiro had been beside himself ever since Keith’s comms cut out. He’d been out in Black incessantly, looking for Keith for hours upon hours. It took all five other inhabitants of the castle to convince him to return for food and rest.

“I shouldn’t have let him do it.” was a commonly heard phrase from his lips.

Allura was distraught. She tried to hide it for the other’s sake, but Coran knew how she really felt, how she sobbed against the console of the bridge when she was alone. She was convinced he was dead, convinced it was her fault. 

“The way I treated him pushed him to take that mission.” No one had the heart to argue with her.

Pidge spent all of her time scrunched over her laptop or bustling around the castle fiddling with tech. The bags under her eyes turned to bruises and weight dropped off of her already skinny frame, but she refused to stop.

“I’m not losing anyone else.” she would insist. “I’m going to find him.”  _ Just like Matt and Dad  _ went unspoken.

Hunk was quiet. Busied himself taking care of Shiro and Pidge, trying to cook the most enticing things he could in an attempt to lure them into eating. On the inside he couldn’t have been more afraid, but on the outside he tried to remain optimistic.

“He’s not dead.” he would say to Allura with a confident smile. “Red would’ve shut down.”

Lance helped Coran maintain the castle while everyone else was busy, working quietly and efficiently. He would never tell anyone, but when he had a free moment he would go out in Blue and look for Keith himself, unable to shake the itch under his skin to do something, anything. Most importantly, he agreed with Hunk.

“He’s not dead.” he would insist, body language casual but voice hard. “I would definitely have felt a disturbance in the Force if that mullet no longer existed.” No one had the energy to laugh at his joke, and slowly he stopped making it. 

And the Red Lion. Oh  _ man _ , the Red Lion. 

Red had felt it when things first went to shit. She launched herself from her cargo bay and tore through two dozen Galra cruisers before the battle ended, hell bent on finding her paladin. But for some reason she couldn’t locate him, and she’d returned to her bay, golden eyes gleaming. She’d been mostly quiet since then, but her eyes still glowed, and sometimes the others could hear her pacing in her hangar, claws tearing holes in the floor and growls echoing off the walls. 

Shiro clung to that behavior. Tried to believe what Hunk said. Surely the Red Lion wouldn’t be acting this way if Keith was dead. He had to be out there, somewhere. But that thought didn’t bring as much comfort as it should have, often accompanied by the harsh reality that if he was alive, he had to be a Galra prisoner. That alone was almost enough to break Shiro. But he held on, and he kept looking. 

_ He isn’t dead. _

* * *

Keith wasn’t dead. He was about ninety percent sure of that fact, purely based on the pain. 

Shit hurt. They’d done everything they could possibly think of to break him; Druid magic, traditional beating, starving, withholding water- you think it, the Galra had tried it. 

They wanted information on Voltron. Obviously. That’s the only reason he hadn’t been tossed into the gladiator ring or out of an airlock. 

He had no idea how long it’d been, but he hadn’t broken. Not once. Hadn’t answered one question. Even when they tortured the shit out of him for simple information they probably already knew and he could’ve revealed without consequence, he didn’t. It was the principle of the thing. 

One time they tried isolation, and Keith had practically laughed in their faces. 

_ I spent a year in the desert by myself, you absolute idiots.  _

Haggar went for his mind. Tried to taunt him. 

“Your friends have forgotten you- don’t want you- never coming for you- you’re worthless-”

Keith let all of it roll off of him like raindrops. Of course there was a part of him that listened, that whimpered and recoiled at the thought of being abandoned again. But it never got to him. 

“They let you go on a suicide mission- they wanted to be rid of you- you’re unworthy to be a paladin-”

Meh. He’d chosen to go on that mission. Hell, every day they spent in space fighting was a suicide mission. Every single day every one of them woke up and made the conscious decision to keep fighting, to keep going, knowing something like this could happen. It was dangerous and scary and deadly- and every day he kept choosing.

_ The Galra have no idea what they’re dealing with. _

Maybe it was stupid, being a prisoner at the mercy of his captors, being tortured and hurt; but he felt invincible. Like here was iron just under his skin. No matter how hard they hit, how deep they cut, how much they tore- they couldn’t touch him. Not really. Not where it mattered. Not enough to make him crack. 

His team was on his mind constantly. They were what gave him this iron feeling, after all. Even if he died, they could keep going, could defeat Zarkon. The emperor thought they were down, thought they could never take him out, and that would be his mistake. Because he didn’t know them the way Keith did.

They were unassuming. Kids from Earth making laser noises and getting dumb crushes on alien rock girls. But they were more than that.

Hunk is calm, solid, supporting. Just like the earth his lion represents. Until it starts moving and levels cities. 

Lance is never quiet, always chattering, like the constant lap of waves against the shore. Until something disturbs it, and the water pulls away, everyone wondering where the sudden quiet came from. Then comes the tidal wave, towering and forceful and impossible to escape. 

Shiro. If Keith is made of iron, Shiro is titanium. Scratched and marred on the surface but doesn’t even creak no matter how much power you throw at it. 

Pidge’s neverending determination is a fight song, always stoking the flames that the others might be willing to let die. Flows in your veins, hypes you up, always ready to gogogofightfightfight. 

And that’s what the Galra don’t understand. Keith has his team in his corner, and he won’t be losing this round.

* * *

“Anything, Pidge?”

Pidge shook her head in answer to Shiro’s question, tucking some hair behind her ear before returning to her work. She’d tried every tracking or locating technique she could think of, but they couldn’t even be sure what ship Keith had been on, let alone have a signal to track or look for. Still, she kept going. Allura brought the castle as close to Galra information hubs as she dared to let Pidge hack them, looking for any information about prisoners. Of course she took this opportunity to also glance for her family's names, but for once her brother and father weren’t at the forefront of her mind. 

They had been missing for over a year. But the loss of Keith was still fresh.

“Well, keep looking.” Shiro sighed. “There’s gotta be something out there that will lead us to him.”

“I know.” Her fingers never stopped moving. “I keep thinking about Red. Zarkon could track the Black Lion over who knows how far of a distance. We know Red can find Keith if he’s close enough.” 

Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. He was so tired. 

“I don’t think we can just sweep the entire universe and hope we brush up against him at some point.” He said, trying to keep his exhaustion out of his voice. 

“I know.” Pidge said again. “But the bond between paladin and lion isn’t the only bond involved. All of us are bonded too, and so are all the lions. I guess what I’m saying is what if there’s a way for us to connect with Red using our lions, and then maybe… I don’t know, boost her signal?” She pauses in her typing to rub her eyes. “I’m rambling. Sorry.”

“It’s alright Pidge. It’s not a bad idea. Why don’t you think about it a little bit more and we can give it a try, alright?”

“Really?” She turned to look up at where Shiro was standing alongside her chair, smiling down at her. 

“Really. I’m not picky at this point.”

She allowed herself a small smile in return before spinning back to face her screen. This time she opened up databases containing information on the lions, looking for mentions of the bond. Shiro returned to his neverending search. 

A mere few hours later Pidge was summoning the other paladins to the training deck, armed with the mind melding head bands and wearing a determined expression.

“We need to connect to our lions.” she explained as she handed out the bands. “And each other. Then once we’re all connected, our lions will need to connect us all to Red. Maybe with four paladins and five lions, we’ll be able to boost her connection to Keith and let her find him.”

They all carefully fit the head bands on their foreheads, sitting in their usual loose circle on the training room floor, the gap where Keith usually sat painfully empty. 

Pidge crossed her legs and adjusted her glasses, shooting Lance a look, who was looking at Keith’s spot with a wounded look on his face.

“Lance.” 

He turned to look at her quickly, trying to disguise his distress. Pidge saw right through it.

“Listen to me. This might not work. But we need to try. I need you to focus.”

“Don’t worry about me.” he answered, clenching his jaw. “I can do this.”

“Alright everybody, focus. Think about your lion and then connect to the others, like we’re forming Voltron.”

The others obeyed, closing their eyes and tipping their heads downwards. One by one the pieces came together. Shiro’s gentle strength, followed by the stiff wind of his lion. Hunk and Yellow were nearly indistinguishable, feelings of soft sunlight and the smell of dust. Then Lance’s presence, signalled by the crash of waves, and Blue, the taste of salt under all of their tongues. Then Pidge, a brush of curiosity and the rustle of leaves. But the last puzzle piece, the racing heart and lick of flames of Keith and Red didn’t slot in, and the group trembled and almost fell apart.

“Hold on.” Pidge murmured, furrowing her brow as hard as she could. “Reach out through your lions, try to reach Red.” 

There was heavy silence for a moment, all of them feeling the strain in their bond as they reached out for the Red Lion. Lance let out a gasp, a hint of red crowding into their minds. He’d apparently connected first.

“She’s so angry.” he whispered, just as a long growl echoed through the castle. 

“Not angry.” said Shiro, more red tingeing behind their eyelids. “Scared.”

Pidge shifted in her spot. She’d finally connected too, and the rush of adrenaline was overwhelming. They all had some meager connections to the other lions, but now Red was everywhere, filling her, surrounding her, and she felt as though her skeleton might just leap from her skin and run away. 

“If this is how it feels all the time,” she said with a hint of sarcasm, “No wonder Keith is always jetting off on his own.”

Silence fell again. Hunk was struggling to connect to Red, his face screwed up as he fought for the strand that would connect him. Finally he got it, and they all jolted as Red’s roar filled the air.

“Reach out.” Pidge shouted over the cacophony. “Look for Keith!” 

They all scattered, the combined energy of the paladins and the other lions pushing Red’s connection to reach further than it ever had before. For several long, quiet moments, there was no sound and no indication any of them had found anything. 

Then Pidge got it. The slightest whiff of smoke. She wheeled on it and rocketed off through space, the others feeling the tug on their bond and following. 

Suddenly Red roared again, twice as loud, and there was a loud grating sound that rang in their ears and shattered the bond. 

“She got out of the hangar!” Pidge cried, just as Shiro threw off his headband and reached for his helmet.

“Coran, track the Red Lion.” he snapped, all of them scrambling to their feet. “Everybody, get to your lions and follow Red!”

* * *

“I know of your heritage, Paladin.” Haggar was hissing. Keith tipped his head back lazily, feeling blood making it’s way down his face from the cut on his temple. His head pounded and her voice was like needles on a chalkboard.

“Why do you fight who you truly are?” she was asking. “Why fight your blood when you can join us? Belong somewhere, the way you never have anywhere else.”

_ I belong in Voltron. _

“You really don’t know anything about me.” was what he really said. He was too tired to make the words as snippy as he wanted, but they were still defiant. Haggar scowled.

“You cannot resist your emperor forever. You know it in your bones. You know you want to submit.”

Keith chuckled weakly, followed by a cough. “I’ve never submitted to anyone in my life.” He was covered in bruises and cuts and he was starving and his throat burned and he definitely had some broken bones, but even still he wouldn’t submit to them. That iron burned under his skin, whispering strength in his ear. 

Out of nowhere a loud alarm began to blare, making him jump painfully in his bindings. Haggar turned to the door with a growl. She cast one last lingering look at Keith, and then left the room. 

Keith went lax in the chair he was bound to. He was exhausted. Now would be a good time to snatch some rest before she came back.

Then there was a crash, and the whole ship was fucking  _ tilting  _ on its side, making Keith fight to keep his balance. What could be attacking a Galra ship that hard?

A burst of warmth washed over him, and he gasped when Red’s roar echoed into his mind. 

_ It was them! _

After that, his only thought was,  _ took you long enough, guys, fuck. _

Still, he waited as patiently as he could. He didn’t bother trying to pull at his restraints, he already had the rope burns that proved he couldn’t get out of them. All he could do was listen as the sounds of battle got closer.

_ Don’t come in here,  _ he thought to Red.  _ I don’t have my armor.  _

Red growled in response, but a giant lion head wasn’t forcing its way through the hull into the room right now, so she must have listened. 

Laser blasts sounded right outside the door, followed by a familiar whirring and the clanging of metal as it hit the floor. Then the door slid open, and a tall figure stepped inside. 

Keith recognized Shiro, and the iron in him went molten. 

“ _ Shiro _ .” For some indiscernible reason, his eyes stung with tears. Why was he crying now? This whole time he’d been here he hadn’t cried once, but now he was getting out and he decides to start up the waterworks? What the hell?

“Keith.” The overwhelming relief in Shiro’s voice only made it harder for him to blink the tears back. Then Shiro was in front of him, kneeling down and removing the bonds, and Keith was collapsing against his chest plate.

“I didn’t tell them anything.” he muttered. “I swear I didn’t.”

“It’s alright.” Shiro’s hand planted itself soothingly between his shoulder blades, and a sob rasped out of his throat. “Can you walk on your own?”

Keith shook his head. “Yeah, not so much. But I can fly if you get me to Red.”

Shiro hoisted him to his feet, keeping his arm wrapped around his shoulders and letting Keith lean on him. As they shuffled out of the room, Shiro tapped the side of his helmet to engage comms.

“Guys, I’ve got him.” 

Keith heard the flood of cheers from Shiro’s comms, and a smile curled the corners of his lips. His team was happy to have him back.

“Hunk, track my signal and come help me with him. Lance, Pidge, meet us back at the lions.”

Shiro resettled Keith’s weight against him with a grunt.

“Jeez, what have they been feeding you, rocks?” 

Keith tried to smile, he really did, but it came out more of a grimace as he held back the tears. 

“It’s ok, Keith, I’ve got you.”

“I know you do.”

A second later Hunk came skidding around the corner. He was breathing hard, but his face lit up when he saw Keith. 

“Dude! You’re in one piece!” The Yellow Paladin rushed over, looping Keith’s other arm around his broad shoulders. They could move much faster with Keith barely touching the floor. “How bad is it?”

Keith suppressed a wince when Hunk accidentally brushed up against one of his cracked ribs. “I’ve been better.” he admitted in a croaky voice. 

“Don’t worry, Coran’s got a healing pod all ready for you.” There was a sudden crackle in Hunk and Shiro’s headsets, and then Pidge’s voice was coming through, a little shrilly.

“Uh, guys? Can you pick up the pace? Droids are ganging up on us and Red is getting impatient.”

“Copy that, Pidge.” said Shiro. “We’re almost there.”

Barely thirty ticks later they were pushing into the hangar where Lance and Pidge were holding down their position with their lions. The moment they entered Red bounded over and dropped her head to the floor, jaws opened wide. 

_ Get in. _

“Hunk, get in your lion.” Shiro ordered. Hunk obeyed, leaving Shiro to help Keith up the ramp to the cockpit. There was a thrumming in Keith’s chest that just got louder when he was finally in the pilots seat; Red was purring. 

_ I’m never letting you out of my sight again,  _ she grumbled at him.  _ My little reckless paladin. _

Keith chuckled, though it was strangled by the resurgence of the tears. 

“Yeah, I missed you too.”

Shiro’s voice crackled through the comms. 

“Alright, let’s get out of here!”

* * *

They were all waiting for him when he tumbled free of the healing pod hours later, which made his heart squeeze in his chest. Then it squeezed a little more painfully when he found himself caught up in a massive group hug, one that even included Allura and Coran.

Pidge, Coran, and Hunk were already crying. Lance and Allura looked like they were getting there. Only Shiro was dry eyed, but his expression said he was about ready to crack too. 

“I’m sorry it took so long!” Pidge blubbered, burying her face into his chest. “I’m so sorry! I tried everything and we didn’t even know what ship you were on and-” Before Keith could say anything, Pidge was being interrupted by Allura.

“I’m sorry too.” she said with a sniffle. “I’m sorry I pushed you away, I thought you were dead.”

“Red totally trashed her hangar.” said Lance with a wry, trembling grin. “It’s gonna take forever to fix.”

“I did miss you, Number Four.” mumbled Coran.

“Man, buddy, you have no idea how quiet it was around here without someone getting into arguments with Lance all the time.” Hunk said as he wiped at his cheeks. 

“Welcome home, Keith.” said Shiro with gleaming eyes. 

Keith couldn’t take it anymore. He’d never, not once in his life, been surrounded by this much blatant affection, and his heart felt like it was about to burst. And he did, right into tears that immediately made his cheeks heat up with shame. But he couldn’t stop.

“Awwww, Keith.” Hunk cooed, rubbing his back. Pidge clung to him tighter. Lance reached up to ruffle his hair.

“Don’t cry, Mullet.” he said. “Or I’ll cry too.” 

“S-sorry.” Keith gasped. He would’ve reached up to cover his face, but his arms were being pinned to his sides by Coran. “I d-don’t know why-y-”

“It’s alright.” said Coran in a calm tone. “I guarantee every single one of the old paladins broke down after a near death experience. Happens to everyone.”

So Keith let himself cry (not like he had much choice) while his team pressed close around him. Red purred and growled in the back of his mind, words and feelings that only made the tears come faster.

_ Never again.  _


End file.
